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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over the Wisconsin Badgers

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts off the bench during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts off the bench during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois guard Jayden Epps (3) is fouled by Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn (23) and guard Max Klesmit (11) looks on during the first half of their game Saturday, January 28, 2023 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.Uwmen28 7
Illinois guard Jayden Epps (3) is fouled by Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn (23) and guard Max Klesmit (11) looks on during the first half of their game Saturday, January 28, 2023 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.Uwmen28 7 /

2. The impact of Jayden Epps was felt in a big way

Throughout much of the early part of the season, the Illinois freshmen were duking it out for playing time. We weren’t completely sure who was the best freshman out of the bunch.

Skyy Clark had been starting, but he struggled and is taking a leave of absence. Sencire Harris is a quality player, but he is more of a sparkplug right now in his career. I believe Ty Rodgers is going to be a really good player as well. We have some talented freshmen who are going to be the building blocks of this team.

But there is one freshman who is clearly the lead dog right now, and that is Jayden Epps. He has taken the reins among the freshmen, and I would argue he is one of the main players on the team right now.

Entering the game on Saturday, Epps had scored at least 10 points in six out of the past eight games. This included a big 15-point performance against Wisconsin back in early January. Well, Epps once again took care of business against the Badgers.

Epps would finish the Wisconsin game on Saturday with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from three-point range. He also knocked down both free throw attempts. Epps was electric on the court. I can confidently say that he is one of the best drivers of the basketball I have seen for the Illini in the past 20 years.

Illinois has really found a groove on this team. We went from looking lost to now rattling off wins left and right. A lot of that has to do with Epps finding his game and the team trusting him. This kid is a big-time player, and his impact was felt in a big-time way against Wisconsin.

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